Sunday, February 5, 2012

the slippery snake slithers away

So key ran from Waitangi because he couldn’t be heard – good job I say and well done to the protestors, who at personal risk fronted him, and let him know in no uncertain terms what some of us feel about him. This protest was legitimate and necessary because the state and its representatives are treating tangata whenua disrespectfully as evidenced by the announcements this week of the proposed removing of clause 9 in the new legislationflogging off state assets and the job loses at TPK orchestrated by The Māori Party and the gnats.

Key wants to control the narrative and he wasn’t able to and that is great. This is the way to do it because his narrative oppresses Māori and reiterates inequality and unfairness. Some argue that it is better to be nice but where has nice got Māori?

Some argue it has played into key’s hands by solidifying support from middle NZ against horrid Māori but that doesn’t matter because they are already at that place. If it has played into his hands then THAT is what should be addressed – the fact that he has an anti-Māori agenda and sinister intentions towards tangata whenua. The protestors got it right by forcing the slippery snake to slither away.

As well as I can tell, Australia Day is treated as a day for running and screaming about how great Australia is, wearing flags (occasionally with other clothing), celebrating the British arriving, and so on. (The main annual event with crowds in Sydney involves talking about how great Australia is, having a big ship parade in Darling Harbour, and letting off squillions of fireworks.) Talking about the Aboriginal history is fine, as long as it's generally positive and in the past, or described in a way that suggests things are better now.

Now, after events in Canberra, I've yet to see any acknowledgement or attempt to talk about anything to do with the issues that caused it, anywhere. Media, government or otherwise. Despite massive attention (within Australia) on what happened on Australia Day, it's all been focused on how the security was arranged and how protesters were able to even approach her in the first place. The issues seem to be completely foreign to anyone influential in communicating news, and they might as well be foreign terrorists for all the public attention that's being given to them.

Pathetic and slow-moving as things are in New Zealand at times, it almost makes me appreciate being a New Zealander because there are actually some people willing to acknowledge there are onboing problems instead of just stomping them under the rug.